These commands
load the named
files
into executable files for the corresponding architectures; see
8c(1)
for the correspondence between an architecture and the character
(6,
8,
etc.) that specifies it.
The files should be object files or libraries (archives of object files)
for the appropriate architecture.
Also, a name like
-lext
represents the library
libext.a
in
/$objtype/lib,
where
objtype
is one of
386,
etc. as listed in
8c(1).
If the environment variable
ccroot
is defined, the library is sought in
$ccroot/$objtype/lib
instead.
The libraries must have tables of contents
(see
ar(1)).
In practice,
-l
options are rarely necessary as the header files for
the libraries cause their archives to be included automatically in the load
(see
8c(1)).
For example, any program that includes header file
libc.h
causes the loader
to search the C library
/$objtype/lib/libc.a.
Also, the loader creates an undefined symbol
_main
(or
_mainp
if profiling is enabled) to force loading of the
startup linkage from the C library.
The order of search to resolve undefined symbols is to load all files and libraries
mentioned explicitly on the command line, and then to resolve remaining symbols
by searching in topological order
libraries mentioned in header files included by files already loaded.
When scanning such libraries, the algorithm is to scan each library repeatedly until
no new undefined symbols are picked up, then to start on the next library. Thus if library
A
needs
B
which needs
A
again, it may be necessary to mention
A
explicitly so it will be read a second time.
The loader options are:
- -l
- (As a bare option.)
Suppress the default loading of the startup linkage and libraries
specified by header files.
- -o out
- Place output in file
out.
Default is
O.out,
where
O
is the first letter of the loader name.
- -p
- Insert profiling code into the executable output; no special action is needed
during compilation or assembly.
- -e
- Insert (embedded) tracing code into the executable output; no special action is needed
during compilation or assembly.
The added code calls
_tracein
at function entries
and
_traceout
at function exits.
- -s
- Strip the symbol tables from the output file.
- -a
- Print the object code in assembly language, with addresses.
- -v
- Print debugging output that annotates the activities of the load.
- -M
- (Kl
only) Generate instructions rather than calls to emulation routines
for multiply and divide.
- -Esymbol
- The entry point for the binary is
symbol
(default
_main;
_mainp
under
-p).
- -x [ file ]
- Produce an export table in the executable.
The optional
file
restricts the exported symbols to those listed in the file.
See
dynld(2).
- -u [ file ]
- Produce an export table, import table
and a dynamic load section in the executable.
The optional
file
restricts the imported symbols to those listed in the file.
See
dynld(2).
- -t
- (5l
and
vl
only)
Move strings into the text segment.
- -f
- (5l
only)
Generate VFP hardware floating-point instructions.
Without this option,
5l
generates arm7500 floating-point
instructions which are emulated in the kernel.
- -Hn
- Executable header is type
n.
The meaning of the types is architecture-dependent; typically
type 1 is Plan 9 boot format and type 2 is the
regular Plan 9 format, the default. These are reversed on the MIPS.
The Next boot format is 3. Type 4 in
vl
creates a MIPS executable for an SGI Unix system.
There is often a type that produces ELF or ELF64 format;
5 for ELF is common.
See
obj.c
in the source directory for a complete list.
- -k
- (ELF only)
Executable is a standalone boot image or kernel.
- -Tt
- The text segment starts at (virtual) address
t.
- -Pt
- (ELF only)
The text segment starts at physical address
t
(by default the text segment's virtual start address).
- -Dd
- The data segment starts at address
d.
- -Rr
- The text segment is rounded to a multiple of
r
(if
r
is nonzero).
- -Ldir
- For a library reference
-lext,
search
dir
before looking in the standard library directory.
If more than one
-L
option is given,
directories will be searched in order of appearance.
The numbers in the above options can begin with
0x
or
0
to change the default base from decimal to hexadecimal or octal.
The defaults for the values depend on the compiler and the
header type.
The loaded image has several symbols inserted by the loader:
etext
is the address of the end of the text segment;
bdata
is the address of the beginning of the data segment;
edata
is the address of the end of the data segment;
and
end
is the address of the end of the bss segment, and of the program.